Your family medical history—it’s one of the first things you’re asked about when you take your child to the doctor.

That history plays an important role in your child’s health, and the more you and your pediatrician know about your relatives’ mental and physical health, the better care your child will receive as they grow.

Dr. Pilar Bradshaw with Eugene Pediatric Associates says history may help identify children with a higher-than-usual chance of having common medical disorders, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, certain cancers, obesity and type 2 diabetes.

“And although parents don’t think about those medical things when they look at their toddler, it’s so valuable to know those things and talk to your doctor now because in our pediatric years is when we can do so much to prevent future illness,” Dr. Bradshaw says.

Reducing the risk
Genetic illnesses are very common. In a national poll, 1 in 5 parents say their child has been diagnosed with a hereditary condition, while nearly half expressed concerns about their child potentially developing such a condition.

While many complex disorders are influenced by a combination of genetic factors, environmental conditions and lifestyle choices, parents can take steps to reduce their child’s risk, such as early screenings, genetic counseling, encouraging healthy eating and exercise habits, and being aware of possible signs and symptoms.

“If you have asthma, your child already has a 1 in 4 chance, so those are the kids we’re really going to talk to about preventing respiratory illness, having an early experience with preventative medication to stop their asthma from spiraling out of control,” Dr. Bradshaw says.

Starting the conversation
Your relatives are the best source of information about your family, but starting the conversation isn’t always easy.

“It can seem like an awkward question but if you just want to say, ‘Hey, my pediatrician advised that I learn more about my family medical history, do you have any information about diseases that have run in our family?’” Dr. Bradshaw says. “That might be a great way to start the conversation.”

Mental health also can have a genetic component, so that’s something to ask about as well. Also, remember the information about medical and mental conditions doesn’t have to be very specific to still be useful.

“Oftentimes grandparents or great grandparents don’t really remember or know the name of what kind of problem they had, but if you are even able to tell your pediatrician, ‘My grandparents had a problem with their bowels,’ or ‘My grandma had colon cancer,’ or ‘All the women in my family have breast cancer,’ that’s going to be very helpful information,” Dr. Bradshaw says. “So just start asking your older relatives, ‘Gosh, Mom. Gosh, Grandma. Gosh, Grandpa, when you were a kid—or right now—did you have any medical issues at all?’ And just listen. Take some notes. And take those notes to your pediatrician.”

Tips on collecting information
Here are some more guidelines to get started with gathering family health histories:

  • Talk to your family: Events like birthday parties, weddings, holiday dinners and funerals provide a chance to ask family members about their lives.
  • Use what you have: Check to see if your family has family trees, charts or listings of family members in baby books, photo albums, birthday date books or other records.
  • Plan an individual conversation: You may want to talk with certain family members to get a more complete record of what they know. If possible, record these talks so you can go over them later.
  • Send a survey: You may wish to send out a survey asking for health information from relatives. One quick and easy way to collect this information is to put it in a holiday newsletter. Be sure to explain why you’re asking while respecting and recognizing that not everyone may feel comfortable answering.